Horror Writers Association Announces 2026 Summer Scares Reading List for Readers of All Ages

The eighth annual program celebrates horror with curated adult, YA, and middle grade selections and welcomes Jennifer McMahon as spokesperson.

COLUMBUS, OH, UNITED STATES, February 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In celebration of National Library Lover’s Day and Friday the 13th, the Horror Writers Association (HWA), in partnership with Booklist, Book Riot, iREAD, and NoveList^®, a division of EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO), is pleased to announce the eighth annual Summer Scares reading list. Selected by a panel of authors and library professionals, the list is designed to promote horror as an engaging and meaningful reading option for readers of all ages, at any time of year.

This year, Summer Scares welcomes New York Times Bestselling author Jennifer McMahon as the 2026 spokesperson.

“We need horror now more than ever. Stories to unsettle us, to make us question what we think we know, to show us how to confront the darkness and come out the other side,” said McMahon. “Stories that we will put down and feel changed by. This collection of books chosen by the Summer Scares committee perfectly showcases the true diversity of horror today and is further evidence that we are at the peak of a horror renaissance. These are books to get lost in, books to share with others in your life, books to talk about and ponder over. So come along, take my hand, and prepare to step into the darkness with me this summer. Yes, there’s plenty of scary stuff in these books—but there’s also a whole lot of hope. And don’t close your eyes—you don’t want to miss a thing along the way.”

Each year, the Summer Scares committee selects three titles in each of three categories—Adult, Young Adult, and Middle Grade—spotlighting outstanding works that reflect the diversity of voices and storytelling approaches within contemporary horror.

The 2026 Summer Scares selections are:

Adult Selections

• “A Botanical Daughter,” by Noah Medlock (Titan, 2024)
• “Never Whistle at Night,” edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst (Vintage, 2023)
• “Maeve Fly,” by CJ Leede (Tor Nightfire, 2023)

Young Adult Selections

• “What We Harvest,” by Ann Fraistat (Delacorte Press, 2022)
• “Gorgeous Gruesome Faces,” by Linda Cheng (Roaring Brook Press, 2023)
• “Our Shadows Have Claws,” edited by Yamile Saied Méndez and Amparo Ortiz (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2022)

Middle Grade Selections

• “Garlic and the Vampire,” by Bree Paulsen (Harper, 2021)
• “It Came from the Trees,” by Ally Russell (Delacorte Press, 2023)
• “This Appearing House,” by Ally Malinenko (Harper, 2022)

Summer Scares aims to introduce horror titles to school and public library workers so they can start conversations with readers that extend beyond the books on each list and promote reading for years to come. In addition to the annual list of recommended titles, the Summer Scares Programming Guide—free for any library to access—returns with tools libraries need to connect with their patrons.

“The 2026 guide, developed and designed by the HWA Libraries team, is the library worker’s roadmap to providing exciting and meaningful experiences for their communities through Summer Scares, whether they’re putting up book displays, leading discussion groups, developing events, or orchestrating an entire Summer Scares program series,” said Konrad Stump, co-creator of the programming guide. “With select titles aligned with iREAD’s 2026 theme, ‘Plant a Seed, Read,’ the guide makes it easy for libraries across the world to incorporate Summer Scares into their summer reading programs and engage patrons of all ages in the horror genre.”

The guide will be available beginning March 1, 2026 on the Summer Scares Resource page at RA for All Horror blog.

Along with the guide, the Summer Scares committee will work with both the recommended list authors and horror authors from across the country to provide free programming opportunities for libraries. Libraries interested in hosting horror-themed events at any time of year are encouraged to contact the HWA Libraries team through their website.

Booklist will help kick off Summer Scares 2026 in March with a series of three free webinars featuring this year’s selected authors in conversation with committee members:

● Thursday, March 12, 2026, at 2:00 PM Eastern, featuring Middle Grade authors and moderated by Julia Smith
● Monday, March 23, 2026, at 2:00 PM Eastern, featuring Young Adult authors and moderated by Kelly Jensen
● Thursday, March 26, 2026, at 2:00 PM Eastern, featuring Adult authors and moderated by Jennifer McMahon

Each webinar lasts one hour. Registration is free, and recordings will be available for on-demand viewing following the live events on the Booklist website.

All are welcome to join the Summer Scares committee and featured authors at the HWA’s Librarians’ Day, taking place in person on Friday, June 5, 2026, in Pittsburgh, PA, as part of StokerConⓇ.

The 2026 Summer Scares program committee consists of author Jennifer McMahon, HWA Library Committee Co-Chairs Becky Spratford and Konrad Stump, as well as academic library director and ILA President Carolyn Ciesla, Book Riot Senior Editor and YA specialist Kelly Jensen, Booklist Senior Editor and Middle Grade specialist Julia Smith, and Manager of Reader Content and Services at NoveList Yaika Sabat.

For more information about the Summer Scares reading program, including committee member bios and how to obtain promotional materials or schedule events with the authors and committee members, contact HWA Library Committee Co-Chairs Becky Spratford and Konrad Stump through the HWA website.

About the Horror Writers Association:

The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is a nonprofit organization of writers and publishing professionals and the oldest organization dedicated to the horror and dark fiction genres. The HWA fosters an appreciation of reading through extensive programming and partnerships with libraries, schools, and literacy-based organizations, and hosts StokerConⓇ, an annual professional conference celebrating horror and dark fiction. Learn more by visiting the HWA website.

Desiree Duffy
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